In preparation for the 2024 season, many of British Triathlon’s Olympic World Class Programme athletes are in Australia on a national camp, making the most of the warm weather training and enjoying the novelty of having kangaroos and lizards as training partners

The group have been out in Australia for a few weeks now, giving them time to settle into their new surroundings and acclimatise to the summer conditions down under and, as Jess Fullagar explains, the camp has already brought benefits in the short space of time already: 

“The first three to four days are about getting over jet lag and used to the heat, just settling in really. We’re all in flats of about two people, so just unpacking and settling in, getting used to our environment. 

“In terms of swimming, our first swim with Phil [open water swimming guru] was really interesting and we learned about the different waves and some fundamentals – how do we get behind the break, how do we dive under a wave, do we swim through a wave, and lots of fundamentals that we’re going to implement as the camp goes on. 

“Of course he mentioned sharks, but nothing to be feared because there isn’t really anything to be worried about and they are actually pretty rare around here. The fish and dolphins from the first week were all pretty epic.” 

With the first few days ticked off and the group settled in, the more intense training sessions got underway. 

“The weather was actually pretty on and off the first week, but it’s really been good for the second week,” Fullagar continued 

“In terms of swimming, we’ve done the majority of our swimming in the ocean for the past two weeks and then we’ve done two swim sessions with the Miami Swim Club – safe to say that my arms are battered, but hey, it’s a learning curve! 

“For the riding, we’ve had a mixture of long rides, some crit sessions, some short spins. Some of the climbs and descents have been really awesome, and Sophie Coldwell is a very fun wheel to sit on going down. Personally, because it’s my first time here, I’ve just loved the scenery.  

“The running as well is pretty nice. There’s lots of coastal paths and some paths around the headland, I’ve seen the lizards, and there’s a really nice track – a grass track – which is really good as it’s not too bad in terms of impact. We’ve been going to Coombaba Park for our long runs and there are so many kangaroos, so that was a really big highlight.” 

As many a triathlete will testify to, a good café spot is high on the agenda whether you’re training at home or abroad, something which Fullagar and co have also put into practice. 

“I must say the food has been amazing out here, the Aussies sure know how to make a mean brunch and a flat white,” she commented. “The chocolate and salt flake cookie at the bottom of my road is pretty darn tasty! 

“As a whole the camp has been pretty awesome so far, it feels like a really jelled group and we’re all having lots of fun. Next week the group will split up a bit because there’ll be those racing Napier and those still staying here, but we’ll regroup after that.” 

2024 World Triathlon Cup Napier takes place on Saturday 24 February, with a host of British names taking their place on the start line for this early season race. Taking place on New Zealand’s North Island, the sprint distance race (750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run) will be part of a Triathlon Festival with the New Zealand Sprint Distance Championships. 

Fancy a training camp of your own? British Triathlon members receive 10% off Group Evolution sports training camps in the Loire Valley, France through their membership, with Age-Group Team members enjoying an uplifted discount on preparation camps in the build-up to European and World Championship events. 

Explore this opportunity by logging into your member area here and if you’re not a member, you can find out more by visiting the membership section of our website here.